Why Jesus Seeks the Nations (Matthew 2)

Resource by Eric Weiner

If you have a Bible, you can turn to Matthew 2. We’re going to look at the story of the wise men, which often gets tied in with Jesus’s birth story even though the wise men weren’t there the night Jesus was born.

That’s why, when I put our nativity set out at home I put the wise men at a different place in the room. Because they weren’t there yet. They arrive late to the party.

But just because the wise men weren’t present the night Jesus was born doesn’t mean Jesus wasn’t born for them. Even though they were distant travelers, their inclusion in the story is a reminder that the Christmas message is also for them. And if Christmas can be for people like them then Christmas can also be for people like us.

The Christmas story wasn’t given for one group, one nation, or one moment in time. It’s an invitation for all people everywhere to join in worshiping the one true King.

And so my prayer this morning is that we would lean into this story with an open mind and consider, not what other traditions have told us to believe about this event, but to be discerning about the mysteries God has made known to us through his Word.

[Matthew 2:1] – Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Let me give you five observations from this story that explain why Jesus’s birth is good news for us. The story of the wise men teaches us:

1. The gospel is for all nations.

I don’t know if you knew this, but each of the four gospels, while they all declare the same message, they’re told in slightly different ways. And part of the reason for that is because they’re written to different audiences (Jews, Greeks, Romans).

When I was back in the States over the summer, I had the privilege of preaching at my sending church and one of my friends asked me if I was going to preach a sermon I had given here – you know, because sermon prep is a lot of work. And I told him, I would declare the same truths to you, but I wouldn’t preach the same sermon because it’s two totally different groups. That’s similar to what the gospel writers were doing.

Now, gospel in its most basic form means good news. And the fact that the gospel writers went through the trouble of writing to different ethnic peoples should tell you everything you need to know about who they thought the news was for.

Matthew wrote his gospel to the Jews to proclaim the news that Jesus was the promised Messiah-King they had been waiting centuries for, and he had come to fulfill all God’s promises in saving his people.

The Jews understood themselves to be God’s holy people. From long ago, God promised he would use Abraham’s family to bring blessing to the nations and that one day his family would be more numerous than the stars.

And Matthew tells us the birth of Jesus signals the fulfillment of that promise. That in Jesus, God will make his blessings flow to all peoples.

The news that Jesus’ life will grant the nations access to God is such an important part of Matthew’s gospel that he puts it at the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Just look at verse 1 of our text:

[1] Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, and [v. 2b] tells us the reason for their visit:“…For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

The first people in Matthew’s gospel to worship Jesus are these foreign astrologers from the east.

In Matthew 8, Jesus promises that people from near and far will enjoy life in his kingdom. [8:11] – He says, I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,

[24:10] – Jesus says the “…gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations…” You want to talk about end times? Wait for the days when the nations gather in Jesus’ name.

And then, with the final words of Matthew’s gospel Jesus commands his disciples to:

[28:19-20] – “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…”

The birth of Jesus is good news of great joy for the world, and if that message is still new to you this morning, then come and see for yourself. Look at God lying in the manger. Christ the Savior has been born to save you.

But if you have received this news, then you know Jesus was born to die so that you might live and that after the resurrection, his message shifted from come and see to go and tell others what your God has done. That’s what he’s called you to do.

We do this because…

2. God makes himself known to seekers.

A seeker is anyone who searches for God, and here’s the thing about seekers. Seekers have lots of great questions, and some questions don’t have good answers. But the story of the wise men teaches us that the most important things have been made known.

[v. 2] – The wise men came to Jerusalem seeking to know: “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

But that one verse alone gives us a whole menu of questions Matthew doesn’t give us answers to. Just for starters, we don’t even know that much about the guys asking the question.

The wise men probably came from somewhere in Babylon or Persia. Some traditions assume they were kings but that’s not what Magi were. Magi were more like sages or priests. They would have been counted among the ruling class because they were highly educated.

In the OT, you often see these guys pop up in the king’s courts; magicians, advisors, wise men (just look at Pharaoh in Egypt or Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon).

These guys were obviously trained in the field of astrology. They were students of the stars. And from their studies they came upon a star they believed was a sign that a great leader had been born.

Now, I’m not gonna stand up here and try to explain to you how the star works. If Matthew were interested in that he would have told us. But I don’t want to focus on the lesser things like the star. I want to focus on the greater things—like what the star is pointing to.

Don’t let what you can’t explain stop you from enjoying what you can. Here’s what we do know:

First, God is in control and will use whatever means necessary to draw seekers to himself.

I don’t know how the star appeared in the sky. But I know according to Isaiah 40:26 that God “brings out the stars by number; he calls all of them by name. Because of his great power and strength, not one of them is missing.”

I don’t know how the star appeared in the sky. But I know in Numbers 24:17 God revealed that “…a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel…” Meaning, a king would be born in Israel who would bring blessing to the world.

I don’t know how the star appeared in the sky. But I know God told us through the prophet Isaiah that the light of this king would attract the nations and in [Is. 60:3] that the “nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.”

I don’t know how the star appeared in the sky. But I know God said in [Jeremiah 29:13] that he will make himself known to anyone who seeks him with a pure heart. He says, You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.

The mystery of God’s purposes hasn’t been hidden by the star. He’s used a rising star to draw our attention to something even greater. Namely, himself.

Second, the purpose of seeking is to eventually find.

That’s why the Magi ask the question in the first place. This isn’t an academic exercise for them. They haven’t come up with some hypothesis hoping to prove some theory. They went to Jerusalem with the expectation that they’d find what they’re looking for.

[v. 10] – When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

That’s a lot of joy wrapped in one sentence and their joy’s not because of the star. It’s because they found what they sought. They were right to expect to find God.

See, an essential part of the Christmas story is that God is knowable. But you have to accept him, not based on what you want him to do or who you think he should be. You have to accept him as he’s revealed himself.

In this case, when the Magi got to Bethlehem they had to accept that the little boy they’d see was God in the flesh who came to save them from their sins and reconcile them to God.

For those here seeking this morning, do you expect to find God? And when you do, will you be ready to surrender your life to him? And if not, what’s the point of finding what you’ve already decided you don’t want?

God makes himself known to seekers.

3. The wisdom of the world will only get you so far.

[v. 3] – When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Let it not be lost on us that the one’s who came seeking are considered the wise of their day. The scholars. They’re the ones you want influencing big decisions. But here’s the problem with worldly wisdom. The wisdom of the world can only take you so far because worldly wisdom has an expiration date, while the wisdom of God is eternal.

Let me make the point by applying the practice of the wise men to our day:

Let’s say you came up to me after service today and asked why my family decided to move to KL and I told you, “One night my wife and I were looking up at the night sky and we saw a star that shined brighter than any we’d ever seen before and we thought it was important.

So the next day we went to our local astrologist and he confirmed the star was unique and according to his calculations, it rose somewhere above Malaysia. And so his advice was for us to sell our things, pack our bags, and travel to the capital to see if any of the locals might be able to explain to us what it means and here we are. You would be speechless.

You’d probably wish you hadn’t even asked the question. You’d smile and nod and try to figure out how to end the conversation as quickly as possible. You’d get in your Grab and say we’re never going back to that church again!

The wisdom of the world is always changing. Some people will tell you that’s the beauty of knowledge. We’re always getting better. But that also means the wisdom of our grandparents generation looks outdated to us. And what we rely on today our kids are going to change tomorrow.

Don’t get me wrong! We’re capable of great discovery, but worldly wisdom will only get you so far.

Let me ask you this: How did the wise men find Jesus? And don’t say the star.

We don’t know what was going on in their studies, but whatever they were doing, it led them to Jerusalem but not to Jesus.

They probably went to Jerusalem as an educated guess. We’re looking for the King and kings live in the capital city. So, let’s go to Jerusalem. But when they got there they still didn’t know. That’s why they had to ask.

The way they found out where Jesus was born was through the revelation of God’s Word. It took Herod assembling his own set of wise men–the chief priests and the scribes–and they consulted the Scriptures to reveal to the wise men that about 700 years ago the Lord spoke through the prophet Micah declaring that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

Nobody’s gonna go to Bethlehem. That’s like saying you’re gonna go to Ipoh.

See, the wisdom of the world can tell you many wonderful things that are practical to your life. But only the Word of God can make known to you the greatest mysteries.

The wise men didn’t come to worship Jesus because of their pedigree. They used what they knew to help them get there, but ultimately no one can come to worship Jesus apart from a knowledge of God’s Word. And what God’s Word reveals is that we don’t come to him based on what we merit, but based on his grace freely given to us.

4. The journey to Jesus must be intentional; it will be costly.

[v. 7] – Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”

Now, real quick, at the time of Jesus’s birth, Herod was the King of the Jews, but the dude was crazy.

If he were around today he’d probably be clinically diagnosed with paranoia. He was constantly worried about people conspiring against him to take his power. So much so that he reportedly had his wife and three sons executed. So dads, if you’re ever feeling down, I want you to know there are worse fathers than you.

So, after Herod met with the chief priests he arranges a secret meeting with the wise men. Here’s what’s going on here:

First, Herod wants to know when the star appeared because he wants to know how old Jesus is. That’s why in [v. 16], when the wise men don’t return Herod orders for all the boys 2 and under to be killed.

Second, Herod doesn’t want to bring any more attention to the situation. He says he wants to worship Jesus, but coming to Jesus would require him to lay down his title and we all know he’s not willing to do that.

Let’s face it: The gift of salvation is free but following Jesus will cost you your life. It might cost you strained relationships with family members. It might cost you career opportuntities. It might cost you the religious traditions you grew up practicing. Following Jesus is never a call to passivity. It’s always an active pursuit.

The story of the wise men gives us a glaring contrast between those who’ve counted the cost and those who have not.

Let’s compare Israel with the nations. We’ve already said we don’t know exactly where the wise men came from. So let’s make an educated guess. We do know from the OT that when Ezra and the Israelites returned to Jerusalem from their exile it took them about 4 months and 1,500 km to get from Babylon to Jerusalem. And that’s just one way.

Now, how much planning do you think it would require for someone in the ancient world to go a similar journey, but round trip? Honestly, how did anyone get anywhere before GPS? You think they pulled out an atlas to navigate the roads?

They’d have to make the proper arrangements. They’d need to pack enough clothes and food for months to feed themselves, their families, their servants, their animals. They’re not stopping at the nearest McDonalds.

The roads would have been dangerous. The trip would have been expensive. This would have been the trip of their lives. You get one shot at something like this.

Meanwhile, the religious leaders may know their Bible from cover to cover, but they’re not even willing to make the 9km day trip to Bethlehem to see if God had really come. The nations counted the cost and were willing to give up everything to come worship Jesus.

Herod says, let me know if you find anything worthwhile. Can we agree—based on their actions—that these people have very different attitudes about Jesus’s birth?

The point is not that God rewards those who travels the farthest. It’s that he rewards anyone willing to humble themselves and surrender to him because he knows only those who come in humility will come at all.

It doesn’t matter how close you think you are. Listen – Herod, Israel, and the religious leaders were close ethnically, religiously, and geographically. But all that produced was indifference or hostility.

It didn’t matter what family they were born into or their country of origin. So many people assume that’s what makes you a Christian. That the only reason someone’s a Christian is because they grew up in a Christian family. Or the only reason you’re a Christian is because you were born in a Christian country.

How crazy is it to think that coming to Jesus is based on things outside your control. People become Christians purely by the luck of the draw.

No way! I’m saved by grace through faith. If I were born anywhere else, Jesus would come find me. And if those are the reasons why you haven’t come to faith in Jesus–because you were born somewhere else–then I hope you hear that that’s just not true. God put on flesh and came to earth to find you. I don’t think you’re missing out on his grace because you were born in a different zipcode.

Jesus came for the poor shepherds and for the wealthy foreigners and for everyone else in between willing to humble themselves and surrender their lives to the one born King.

Finally, the story of the wise men teaches us that:

5. The Christmas message is an invitation to worship.

[v. 9] – After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

The wise men came to Jesus offering him gifts they thought fit for a king. But the purpose of the gifts wasn’t to buy off God to earn his favor. They gave as an act of worship.

When they finally got to that house they fell down in worship because they were looking at Emmanuel, God with us.

So far we’ve considered why the wise men came to Jesus, but do you know why Jesus came to the nations and how he’s still coming to us today?

Maybe you’re here this morning, not because you were stargazing and miraculously saw some stars through the city lights but because you felt some inner desire that was drawing you to come.

Or you had a friend or co-worker finally invite you. You assume it’s just coincidence, but you may be here this morning because God wants to make himself known and he will use even a co-workers invitation to draw you to himself.

See, the birth of Jesus means God has made his light shine in the world and that should spark our curiosity. When you’re only accustomed to darkness, the light stands out. But the only reason why we could come to the light in the first place is because he first came to us. That means at least three things we need to pay attention to:

First – Some people will come to Jesus by supernatural means. I’m sure many of us have heard testimonies of people being drawn to God through dreams. I don’t know why God reveals himself like this to some and not to others. But it points to a truth the prophet Daniel understood: That “…there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries…” (Dan. 2:28). And for Christians, we know that he has given us understanding to these mysteries through his Word, which means we need to be prepared to help others understand these mysteries when they come asking.

Second – Church, some people will come to Jesus because they’re near to you. You work together. You live near by. You go to the same gym or grocery store. God has raised you up like a star in that place to shine the light of his salvation. And the way you shine bright is by being equipped to make known what Christ has done in you so that you can let his blessings flow through you. That’s the reason why we tell others our story of coming to faith.

The purpose of our testimony is to declare to others what God has done in us so that they’ll come to know what he desires to do in them.

Third – Some people we’re gonna have to go to. In our 21 DOP we shared this week that two-thirds of the world’s population still don’t profess the name of Jesus. Which means some of us need to count the cost and consider what it will require to go and tell others this message.

I’ve shared this with you before, but over the past 9 years my sending church has been sending teams to engage a people group in West Africa with the gospel.

The trip is expensive. The travel is difficult. They need an interpreter to help them get around. But they go because they’ve been gripped by the story of Christmas. They’ve been gripped by the reality that God left heaven to come to earth to save them. And if he’s willing to come here, I’m willing to go there. Because Jesus desires the nations to worship him and he asked me to go.

So a few years ago, one of the West Africa teams was able to meet with two leaders from the village they had been praying for. With the help of a translator, the men from the village said to them:

“We see the rings on your fingers. We understand the value of family and recognize the cost you have taken to be here. We want to know what you have to say.”

So my friends shared the news that God was born of a virgin, he took on flesh and came into our world so that he could one day take our sins upon his shoulders and die in our place. Jesus was God in the flesh born to die so that we would enjoy life with our Creator forever.

When these African villagers heard this message they were stunned. “When did this happen?” “Why has no one told us?”

And that’s why I want you to know this Christmas why Jesus was born. God came to you so that you could enjoy forever with him, and there’s not a nation or people God desires to miss out on His saving grace. You can receive him today.

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